Questions & what to look for when purchasing land?

[748rpilot]

One of my major life goals since I was a kid has been to own property, ideally a good bit of it. I'm now firmly at the point where I really need to plan for it, both pragmatically and financially.

My questions to the Pit are about what things to look for, what to avoid, considerations that may not be obvious, heck just general advice. Things that you'd consider total deal breakers, or deal-makers.

I have some ideas about what I want. I want:

1. A good chunk, like 100ac or more
2. Mix of tillable/crop and wooded, open.
3. Terrain features like rolling hills, elevation changes, not just a big flat rectangle.
4. A natural water source either on property or nearby; could be a stream, river or creek that runs through the property or a lake or river in proximity.
5. Buildable site for eventual house(s), barn(s), workshops.
6. Wildlife. Coyotes, upland birds, waterfowl, deer, oh my! The more and variable wildlife, the better.

As far as my planned land uses, it will primarily be a (extended) weekend getaway, a place to camp and hunt, ride ATVs and do redneck things with my friends. I would plan to crop lease out the tillable acerage to generate income.

Long term, I would like to build a residence on the property to live in after retirement. I would still crop lease out. I would also then starting adding a barn and stables, have a few horses, and add some chickens, lambs, sheep. Horses for riding, the other for funsies and (potential) food sources. I'd also like to have shooting ranges, because why wouldn't you.

I do have acerage and price points in mind, both of which can be adjusted for the "right" plot. One constraint would be that I'm currently located in N. IL and would like the property to be within 6 to 8 hours max driving so I can actually go a couple weekends a month.

What things do I need to think about, such as:

1. Features to look for
2. Features to avoid
3. Deal-makers
4. Deal-breakers
5. ???

What kinds of questions would you want to ask and answer, for yourself, about a purchase like this?

 

[diggler1833]

Literally you and everyone else are looking for your #'s 1-6... so be prepared to spend.

All I can say having purchased land, and inherited purchased land is this: Buy twice as much as you want, struggle with the note for 5-7 years, sell the other half and pay off your half. There's no way you can pay the note with working the land or leasing it either... best you'll be able to do is cover the taxes.

^ Unless you just pick a shitty state - or- we have another huge bubble, land values are going to probably double again in another 7 years in 40 states as the 10 shithole states continue to bleed everyone out.

 

[748rpilot]

Literally you and everyone else are looking for your #'s 1-6... so be prepared to spend.

All I can say having purchased land, and inherited purchased land is this: Buy twice as much as you want, struggle with the note for 5-7 years, sell the other half and pay off your half. There's no way you can pay the note with working the land or leasing it either... best you'll be able to do is cover the taxes.

^ Unless you just pick a shitty state - or- we have another huge bubble, land values are going to probably double again in another 7 years in 40 states as the 10 shithole states continue to bleed everyone out.

Yea, that's definitely true. I suppose I'm looking for a fairly premium piece of land. I have in mind what I think is a mostly realistic number, about $750k. I believe there would be room to increase this, especially for a really good spot.

As long as I can cover property taxes and a few bucks on the note with a lease, I'm fine with it. The note I'll pay out of my ordinary income. My thinking is that crops will help grow and retain the wildlife I'd like to hunt.

I hadn't thought about buying extra and selling, I'll have to give that some thought.

Any states and/or areas you'd look at?

 

[John?]

Decide where you want to live first. Proximity to relatives, entertainment, doctors, etc. Rural medical facilities are closing at a rapid rate.

Next, look at insurance and tax rates by county. Those are the long term permanent costs you can’t avoid. Pay attention to flood zone maps too.

understand how mineral rights, water rights, and utility right of way work in your state. Those might ot might not be deal breakers for your use case.

$750K isn’t much for 100 acres. I live in the poorest county in Kansas (according to government statistics). Row crop land here is running $12K per acre on tracts above 40 acres. Smaller tracts are considered residential. At those prices you’ll never make a living on row crops or cattle. The buyers tend to be city folk building big houses to live in. Our county has fairly strict rules against subdividing tracts for housing, so we’re protected from urban sprawl for now.

Just some things to think about.

 

[502Chevelle]

If your property is 6-8 hours away driving time, you will not be visiting it a couple weekends a month. All of your time will be spent driving, and not visiting. That will get old after about your fourth trip. There is a lot of responsibility involved in owning multiple properties. Do you have time to cut grass, clean out gutters, and do all of the stuff required to keep another house from going backwards in the repair zone? We have a house at the beach, about 3.5 hrs away, and a house in the mtns about 2.25 hours away . We live in the middle between them. Thankfully we have a good mgt company for the beach house, which generates income for us. The mtn house is all on me, and we do not rent it out, so that we can use it whenever we want. We love it up there, but the list of maintenance and little projects never ends. I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer here, it’s just reality. Keep your stuff simple, and try to build your buildings to be as maintenance free as possible, even if it costs more up front. Keep the yard as small as possible and find a local kid to mow it. A get away place is a HUGE blessing, but it comes with more responsibility, sometimes when you just want to escape and not have responsibilities.
Edited to fix my fat fingered spelling mistakes.

 

[diggler1833]

Yea, that's definitely true. I suppose I'm looking for a fairly premium piece of land. I have in mind what I think is a mostly realistic number, about $750k. I believe there would be room to increase this, especially for a really good spot.

As long as I can cover property taxes and a few bucks on the note with a lease, I'm fine with it. The note I'll pay out of my ordinary income. My thinking is that crops will help grow and retain the wildlife I'd like to hunt.

I hadn't thought about buying extra and selling, I'll have to give that some thought.

Any states and/or areas you'd look at?

I promise you Sir, with the start-up and maintenance costs of trying to farm land... you are in a losing investment. This is especially true for a smaller parcel like what you're looking at. If you are doing it as a labor of love for hunting, then just figure in those costs as your own "lease fee". Farming and ranching are frigging expensive, especially if you can't mechanic on your own equipment.

No lease, hunting or otherwise is going to pay much - if any - of your note, especially if you only have 100 acres or so. Nobody is going to drop a couple thousand per year to hunt 100 acres... unless your property has pulled the #1 buck in the state for several years in a row . Farmers aren't going to pay much if they have to invest everything into production either. You should be able to cover your taxes though.

$750K will get you a decent amount of land in several states. However, water and electricity (and access) are things to consider.

I get your line of questioning by a lot of my friends each and every year. Once they figure out that they are in a losing investment, they always end up buying something else (10 acres on the outskirts of a town).

 

[748rpilot]

@diggler1833 appreciate the insights. Yes, it's absolutely for the love of the land and for having my own place to hunt and to get away from everyone else. It's not intended to be a profit generating endeavor. The end goal is to have my own place to build a house on and retire to, while having things I enjoy (like horses). My ordinary investments should be able to carry the load.

As to leasing out for farming, I'll have to give that more thought. My initial thinking was, if it can generate any income, and I can workout with the farmer to leave stand a few acres of beans / corn / wheat, then I'm in good shape. But, if that's not a realistic scenario, it's not a requirement.

Buying my own equipment to till and seed would be an alternative, albeit a costlier one. I'll let the deer harvest it for me.

@502Chevelle The distance part kinda sucks, yea. 8 hours would have to be the absolute max, and you're right, it would quickly start sucking. 6 is probably more realistic, as I can do that leaving right after work on a Friday.

I had previously considered your excellent points about taking care of a second house, and decided no, I don't want to do it. I'll be more than likely buying empty mainly for that reason.

Once I retire I would build a house there, move there full-time and sell my current house.

@John? Good points re: mineral rights, insurance, and water rights. I have a few areas in mind that I can research those topics for. Medical...hmmm, yea. That will be a good question.

 

[davsco]

If your property is 6-8 hours away driving time, you will not be visiting it a couple weekends a month.

yeah that's a long way to be schlepping back and forth, even 3-4 hours starts adding up.

as far as what to look out for, def read and understand any deed restrictions (hoa, rights of way, mineral rights etc).

 

[91Eunozs]

Mineral and water rights.

 

[91Eunozs]

Yea, that's definitely true. I suppose I'm looking for a fairly premium piece of land. I have in mind what I think is a mostly realistic number, about $750k. I believe there would be room to increase this, especially for a really good spot.

As long as I can cover property taxes and a few bucks on the note with a lease, I'm fine with it. The note I'll pay out of my ordinary income. My thinking is that crops will help grow and retain the wildlife I'd like to hunt.

I hadn't thought about buying extra and selling, I'll have to give that some thought.

Any states and/or areas you'd look at?

If you can find 100 acres of what you’re looking to buy for anywhere close to that price let me know where it is! LoL. I’d buy it all up at that price…

Here in TX, you might be able to find some shitty cedar scrub land, with no water on it (and no mineral rights) for that price, but anything with water, let alone forest and cleared pasture is gonna be $pendy. Easily 2-3 times what you’re looking to spend.

There may be places where that still exists, but probably not in any place you’d actually want to live.

Edit: you may be able to find something approaching your list somewhere out in Western Texas along I10 (but not near Lubbock)… but you’ll be miles from nowhere, which is actually not a bad thing TBH

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but there’s a lot of competition for that type of place, and has been for a long time now. You’re smart to be looking for that setting, but the price of admission is very high right now.

 

[BoilerUP]

In no particular order:

Physical access
Utility access
Easements
Water (running stream, existing pond, or ability to build a pond)
Mineral/timber rights
Neighbor proximity & quality
Terrain and existing timber/vegetation
Existing wildlife types & populations

In northern Illinois, you're probably looking north into Wisconsin or possibly Indiana for any decent percentage of timber because of the amount of arable land in that part of the country.

 

[P-Squared]

I was in the process of selling a small parcel we've owned since '99. Three days before closing, the Title company came back and said you don't have legal access to the property, so they won't issue title insurance.

It seems the road we used and has been used for over 50 years, was not actually a county road. It crosses over private land and state land. In order to get access I have to secure rights of way (ROW) from all the land owners and unfortunately also the state. I contacted the state and they tell me that it will take 6 to 9 months to get a 1200' ROW.

In my case, I would say to make sure you have Legal access in addition to Physical access.

Good luck. Remember what an old guy told me years ago - They don't make dirt anymore.

 

[Maggot]

I promise you Sir, with the start-up and maintenance costs of trying to farm land... you are in a losing investment. This is especially true for a smaller parcel like what you're looking at. If you are doing it as a labor of love for hunting, then just figure in those costs as your own "lease fee". Farming and ranching are frigging expensive, especially if you can't mechanic on your own equipment.

No lease, hunting or otherwise is going to pay much - if any - of your note, especially if you only have 100 acres or so. Nobody is going to drop a couple thousand per year to hunt 100 acres... unless your property has pulled the #1 buck in the state for several years in a row . Farmers aren't going to pay much if they have to invest everything into production either. You should be able to cover your taxes though.

$750K will get you a decent amount of land in several states. However, water and electricity (and access) are things to consider.

I get your line of questioning by a lot of my friends each and every year. Once they figure out that they are in a losing investment, they always end up buying something else (10 acres on the outskirts of a town).

And agri business taking over running small folks like my grandfather out.

 

[Maggot]

If I were looking for land the most important thing I'd want is a good water source. The next wars may be over water. I think it was T Boone Pickens who bought up a massive amount of land with water rights.

Make sure you have full control...which isnt really possible with gubmint control, but get what you can.

Sounds like you're not a youngster, you might want to consider proximity to quality health care. Generally the more rural you go, the worse the medicos.

 

[diggler1833]

@diggler1833 appreciate the insights. Yes, it's absolutely for the love of the land and for having my own place to hunt and to get away from everyone else. It's not intended to be a profit generating endeavor. The end goal is to have my own place to build a house on and retire to, while having things I enjoy (like horses). My ordinary investments should be able to carry the load.

As to leasing out for farming, I'll have to give that more thought. My initial thinking was, if it can generate any income, and I can workout with the farmer to leave stand a few acres of beans / corn / wheat, then I'm in good shape. But, if that's not a realistic scenario, it's not a requirement.

Buying my own equipment to till and seed would be an alternative, albeit a costlier one. I'll let the deer harvest it for me.

@502Chevelle The distance part kinda sucks, yea. 8 hours would have to be the absolute max, and you're right, it would quickly start sucking. 6 is probably more realistic, as I can do that leaving right after work on a Friday.

I had previously considered your excellent points about taking care of a second house, and decided no, I don't want to do it. I'll be more than likely buying empty mainly for that reason.

Once I retire I would build a house there, move there full-time and sell my current house.

@John? Good points re: mineral rights, insurance, and water rights. I have a few areas in mind that I can research those topics for. Medical...hmmm, yea. That will be a good question.

One of my friends lives in East TX, but has about 150 acres all the way up at the OK/KS border. He invests in good feeders, and expensive cameras with solar chargers. He kills deer there every year that I'd love to have walk across my place. You don't have to be on it all the time... but I want to caveat that with some precautions: 1) If you aren't a presence there, someone else may very well be (poachers). 2) You need to invest in the equipment that will do the feeding and monitoring for you.

As far as enjoying the land: My primary hunting areas are where I harvest hay from (and the woods in-between my hay meadows). The land is relatively untouched other than running tractors over it a few times per year. That really allows the deer to be pressured as little as possible. Leasing the land out to others is going to put you at their mercy some. There are always benefits and drawbacks to every scenario. To be honest, I'd probably lease it out, rather than try to keep up with the equipment and work schedule needed to cultivate it yourself... so please don't think that I'm trying to talk you out of it.

As my body deteriorates more, I will start to downscale what I have (cattle). I don't have a massive operation anyway, but I will be comfortable breaking even if it means that I still get to enjoy the land. If I had to start today - no way could I break even though. Costs are way too high these days man.

Buy the land you want with the intent to just enjoy it. If you are good, you can get enough of a garden there to sustain yourself. If you are really good, you can plant enough to bring in extra wildlife to hunt. NO DOGS. Keep your house dog free if you want to see a lot of big mature deer.

 

[Maggot]

If you can find 100 acres of what you’re looking to buy for anywhere close to that price let me know where it is! LoL. I’d buy it all up at that price…

Here in TX, you might be able to find some shitty cedar scrub land, with no water on it (and no mineral rights) for that price, but anything with water, let alone forest and cleared pasture is gonna be $pendy. Easily 2-3 times what you’re looking to spend.

There may be places where that still exists, but probably not in any place you’d actually want to live.

Edit: you may be able to find something approaching your list somewhere out in Western Texas along I10 (but not near Lubbock)… but you’ll be miles from nowhere, which is actually not a bad thing TBH

Sorry to be Debbie Downer, but there’s a lot of competition for that type of place, and has been for a long time now. You’re smart to be looking for that setting, but the price of admission is very high right now.

A fellow I met when I owned the ranch in Rock Springs Texas showed me a photo of the land before the cattle.goat/sheep men came in and it was full of knee high grass with a huge live oak every 50 yds or so. Full of little bubbling springs, thus the name. The cattle graised it till they couldnt make a living, so they brought in goats and sheep which finished it. They largely did the same with natural predators so now the state is over run with deer. More are killed by autos than hunters.

Interesting tid bit I learned during my Texas time. If you take that arid, scrub cedar/catus land, clear the cedar (a big cedar will evaorate up to 30 gallons of water per day) and replant the land in native grasses, often the water will come back. I saw it done west of Austin.

 

[lonegunman762x51]

Your property needs to have all rights attached. Water, mineral, timber and you need to be aware of easements or the lack of easements. I wanted water, timber, meadows and a lovely view of whatever and that would have costed $3-5000 an acre 20 years ago. Instead I got grass, rocks, blinding sun and a gulley of old tires and farm equipment for $225 an acre. 120 acres to be exact. Sold the scrap, hauled the tires off and planted some brush that is struggling along, sunsets are lovely and I have steel targets to 800 yards.

This was an awesome purchase in hindsight. I have deeded access, 2 miles of fences, 4 strand barbed wire, if I wanted a well it is 150ft typically in that area, its 1/2 mile off the public roadway. No neighbors for at least two or three miles in every direction and the impact area is a 150ft rise in elevation hillside so nothing gets out and if it did there is nothing to hit.


It has a deeded easement so I will always have access. My original neighbor was an asshole farmer who considered the property garbage and still refused to sell me the easement as a 100 ft wide strip, or maybe all of the land between me and the road for whatever price he decided. He thought I was an idiot to pay so much, lol. And refused $1K an acre for the easement.

What is your budget? Why make people guess?


Where do you want this property? I had a buddy who owned 360 acres of irrigated crop land in Iowa and it was worth a fortune. Buying in New Hampshire is different than Nevada desert.

How much property? California scumbags have driven Montana ranch land into the tens of thousands an acre price.

What you are describing around me is about $10K an acre and you would be lucky to find 160 acres in a chunk.



BTW, my chuck of arid land is now selling for $2000-$2500 an acre, 60 acres spots of even worse land are listed for $189K or more. Five miles away near the interstate they have developed 420 acres for a blended community and want triple that for home lots, commercial space is $85 bucks a square foot.

 

[diggler1833]

I was in the process of selling a small parcel we've owned since '99. Three days before closing, the Title company came back and said you don't have legal access to the property, so they won't issue title insurance.

It seems the road we used and has been used for over 50 years, was not actually a county road. It crosses over private land and state land. In order to get access I have to secure rights of way (ROW) from all the land owners and unfortunately also the state. I contacted the state and they tell me that it will take 6 to 9 months to get a 1200' ROW.

In my case, I would say to make sure you have Legal access in addition to Physical access.

Good luck. Remember what an old guy told me years ago - They don't make dirt anymore.

^^^ Access easement better be in the title.

 

[FOS373]

I went through this a few years ago. While I had no desire to farm/ranch myself, I wanted a larger property like you are seeking.


I set up a Redfin or Zillow search (which may / may not give you full listing of everything in your search area, but at least is a start). Similar to you, I thought 5-6 hours would be "about right". That helped me better understand what was out there. You'll find some really some cool and crappy properties. At least it helped me narrow down what was possible.

We found one that we thought was at least worth looking at. Based on the conversation with the listing agent, they made it abundantly clear that we were not really welcome in the community (not really sure what the deal was, but anyway....).

There was another property with a house that I liked, but thought the price was too high, but kept it on my radar. They dropped the price once, but still thought it was too high. I was about to make an offer, but they dropped the price to below what I was going to offer, so we moved on it, but we had to move quick, ~ 6 weeks..... We made it happen.

I'm 3 hours from our main "home" and are able to be up here every other week (would like to be more, but life). We are about 20 minutes outside of a town and about 4 miles from a well stocked general store. We have some other great outdoor amenities in the area and I feel very fortunate.

Factors to consider that others have hit on - the "be prepareds":

* Land vs a property with a house, electrical, water rights (including well), sewer / septic, etc. already done.
* If there is an existing house, cost to remodel or upgrade in the future. There are limited contractors the further you go from "the city" and you'd be surprised at their availability and cost. If you plan on building in the future, be prepared for what it may cost. You may tell yourself that you can do a lot of it, but with time, expenses and life - be aware. Since you are not local, be prepared for the out of town premium the contractor will charge.
* I went the completed house route, because at least it was done and we could use the house before a remodel which I knew was going to be the plan.
* Although I had schematic of our water and well system, there's still been some learning and deciphering.
* Be prepared to make it happen quickly; like I noted above, we had to hustle to get it done in 6 weeks.
* Every few years, we have to update the water rights with an attorney and engineer.
* You won't make any real money from grazing / farming, but you (depending on your location) may save on the ag taxes. My neighbor leases the property for a nominal amount to run cattle, but we maintain the ag status and use the water rights.
* Insurance for the house, like all insurance has gone up dramatically. Out west, insurers think every home is going to burn down and I we're paying for it.
* Conservation easements - we looked at property that was in an easement that greatly limited what you could do on the property. I also looked at what pros/cons of easement (as most of the properties around us were) and the juice wasn't worth the squeeze.
* Be prepared that due to weather / traffic, that your normal drive time may double or may not happen. I've had storms roll through and not been able to get back that day. Then the next day, spend nine hours getting back.
* The grocery store in town costs ~ 15% more. I generally buy our food and bring it up. Same with fuel. Similar with our internet service.
* Be prepared for crap to happen that you would not have thought. Our propane tank had a sensor that (supposedly) let the gas company know when it was at 20%. Lo and behold, the thermostat let me know (at 4:30 pm) that the house was at 50 degrees when it should have been at 60. Thankfully I was able to call a neighbor who was able to check and we were out of propane. But guess what?, the propane company is now closed for the day and the house is now at 45 degrees with an outside temp of -10. I had to drop everything and hustle up to mitigate. I was able to get the propane company up, but ended up switching to a local guy who is cheaper than Ferrell.
* I've been lucky and have not had any other "real" problems. The occasional person has come onto our property (noticed via the house security or cellular trail cam). Thankfully nothing has happened or been broken into (probably just jinxed myself).
* I have reliable power service, but have thought of adding solar or a backup generator.

Best of luck!

 

[748rpilot]

@lonegunman762x51 Some good information in there, I'll have to digest that more.

To your questions, my budget should pretty comfortably support $750k, I could likely increase it +$100k-$150k without much issue. I should have a better idea after meeting with my financial advisor.

I've long had Western/ North Western / Central KY in mind, also Indiana, Wisconsin.

I'd like, preferably, 100ac or more, but realize that may be at odds with my budget. I'm willing to up, or down, on both for a spot I really like.

 

[lonegunman762x51]

I checked in my area, the cheapest piece of ground was 87 acres for $7500 an acre, water, power and a RV parking sight, some old farm equipment and some thin trees and a few 200 sq ft ponds. Animals are scarce in that area and deer are just passing thru. You need about $750K. Happy hunting, keep us posted on what you buy.

If you are an injun, there is 400 acres on the rez. Whitey cannot hunt there and you have to abide all of their rules to live there but it is half price. There will be elk, deer, moose, wolves and birds all flying over or passing my as you watch a drunk riding in the back of a pick-up blast them from the highway, all perfectly legal for a tribal member.

For $35K you can get anywhere from 12,000 sq ft to 40 acres of cliff face in areas between 90 minutes and three hours from civilization if you are "Adventurous" as the listings put it. hahahahaha

 

[bmash]

Well…you could come to MS! (There are nice areas and lots of deer, but probably too far from you..) Rural land (near Jackson) with pine trees and some open acreage, on a creek, one tract with a lake, private water company, and electricity just appraised for between $2200 to $3200/acre for 130 to 500 acre tracts. The higher end price has the lake and more mature trees. General advice, have it surveyed (believe it or not that isn’t required, at least in MS), have a title search done (I was surprised at what they found), be aware of the “class” of the neighbors and political situation. (Imagine Jackson area where they can’t afford to keep up the public water system in the capital city, let alone control violence or maintain roads!) if you don’t live there you really need a good honest neighbor.
If you talk to a rural land appraiser, they can tell you what they consider. For example, you want to hunt and lease out farm land. Does it have hogs?
Also any environmental hazards? Past usage may have had a creosote plant, or dumped farm chemicals.
How much of it floods?

 

[Emerson0311]

I promise you Sir, with the start-up and maintenance costs of trying to farm land... you are in a losing investment. This is especially true for a smaller parcel like what you're looking at. If you are doing it as a labor of love for hunting, then just figure in those costs as your own "lease fee". Farming and ranching are frigging expensive, especially if you can't mechanic on your own equipment.

No lease, hunting or otherwise is going to pay much - if any - of your note, especially if you only have 100 acres or so. Nobody is going to drop a couple thousand per year to hunt 100 acres... unless your property has pulled the #1 buck in the state for several years in a row . Farmers aren't going to pay much if they have to invest everything into production either. You should be able to cover your taxes though.

$750K will get you a decent amount of land in several states. However, water and electricity (and access) are things to consider.

I get your line of questioning by a lot of my friends each and every year. Once they figure out that they are in a losing investment, they always end up buying something else (10 acres on the outskirts of a town).

Preach it brother! Farming on a small to mid scale is a way to go broke pretty quickly while working very hard. If everything is paid for already, farming anything but corporate level is a way to go broke slowly while working hard. I’m watching this play out every day in my friends lives.

 

[hollowoutadime]

Before buying, be friendly and talk to the neighbors. They might tell you something that's not in the listing, ie what might have been there. Talk to a well drilling company, they will have surveys, some idea of how far down water is. You might need septic as well, in some locations you have to truck in the right kind of soil for proper percolating. I'd also check with the building department. Lots of good advice above.

I had two wells dug here, a 5 for the house (22 gpm) and a 6" for the landscaping (35gpm) - they averaged 11K each (incl puump, around 100-125' deep) My brother in Colorado is looking at 30K+ with limits on what he can pull out of the ground - I'm old school, I'd get a legal pad and write everything down for future reference.

 

[748rpilot]

@hollowoutadime that's good information there, I'll definitely keep that in mind.

@bmash yeaaa at 12+ hours Jackson is a bit too far. But that does sound about like what I'm looking for. Regarding political and socio-ecomic considerations, I had been looking at some spots in E. KY but, with no offense to anyone intended, some of the past times there are contrary to my preferences.

@lonegunman762x51 for 400 acres I might could identify as an injun. I'm 1 to 3 years out on a purchase but heck, I might even invite the Bear Pit out for a shoot around!

Sounds like I'll need to relax the "I'd like natural water on/through it" --I figured that would fetch an extra premium. Right when the pandemic was kicking off I found a 175ac farm in KY bordered on 3 sides by natural creeks, $750k. Wish I'd have been in a buying position then!

Playing with my financial projections I should be able to do $900k without much downside. But I'm an ol' tight-butt and that's a big bag.

As far as signs and habitat for wildlife, what would be some specific things to watch out for there? I'm talking about,, trying to evaluate from pictures and topographical maps. I know to look for fairly obvious things like the natural vegetation, trees, natural food sources, draws, funnels, etc, but, would there be things that signal to you "oh this place can't hold deer for anything" or that wildlife is slim pickings?

 

[John?]

@748rpilot

Re: wildlife sign. First stop would be check with conservation agent on deer check in numbers. Our guys are always helpful with sharing that information. While you’re talking to them ask about blue tongue and any other disease that concern you. I always ask about turkey too. Spring turkey season is the best fun. Coyotes are a load of fun between meat seasons. Don’t forget about trapping too.

From map recon you check the obvious stuff: proximity to row crops, orchards, cattle operations, cover and water. It doesn’t take much to hold deer around here. Same with western KY when we lived there. Deer are a damned nuisance to most folks.

 

[sgtsmmiii]

Lots of very good information and suggestions here. But, my experience with the distance question - 60 miles or 60 minutes. Much further and you'll probably get to the point you hardly ever visit it.
But, a funny story - a buddy bought a small farm about an hour from his residence to have his own place to deer hunt here in KY. He was concerned about trespassers, pot growers, and poachers so he bought 4 of those imitation Claymore mine replicas they sell at the gun shows. Painted them orange, ran what appeared to be trip wires across saplings to them, and placed them randomly around the property ( somewhat hidden but easily visible ).
And.... we have had a couple of full auto and FRT shoots / cookouts several times on the property on the weekends. Lots of "full auto" noise.
Apparently word travels pretty fast in the small KY county and the city it's near. He says he has had very little problems. Good luck however you decide to go.